Friday, May 30, 2014

Maya Angelou died Wednesday. She's known for being a poet, author, actress, and civil rights activist. She was an amazing woman. She was grace and strength and all the things that make someone fearless.

Thursday, May 29, 2014

Memorial Day found us home from work and school and while we paid tribute to the day and its meaning we also spent some time at the outdoor mall near us.

We started with supper at California Pizza Kitchen. We hadn't eaten there in a while and I thought Hey, maybe we could sit outside and have a nice meal. Mind you, the temps had hit the triple digits but since they had the misters going to keep things cool we figured, what the hell. When we walked in and asked to be seated outside the hostess noticed that some people had randomly decided to just sit at the last two empty tables on their own. Now normally the Jersey in me would say, "Tell them to get up and move." But, like I said, it was hot so I let it slide and we ate in cool comfort inside. Consider yourselves lucky, Table Snatchers.

Afterward, we walked around and looked in some stores. We went into this one shop which was a candy/novelty gift store. They had all the familiar sweets (gummy bears!) and some retro candy (sugar babies!) that Bill and I remember eating when we were little. I found a few items that were interesting enough to take a pic of but just pricey enough to leave on the shelf.

Put germs in their place!

These next two were pieces of gum all kept in such uniquely labeled boxes:

Wednesday, May 28, 2014

So it's that time again. Ya know, that time where I confess all the news that's fit to print. I'll start by saying that I confess I'm still so honored that I was nominated for a Liebster Award. Just in case you didn't hear, see, or read about it earlier in the week on here. Yay! Award! Award! Award! Reminds me of that scene in Hocus Pocus.

I confess that King Arthur got the royal heave-ho and has since been replaced with The Three Musketeers. As a backup I also took out 2 Calvin & Hobbes books from the library as well. One cannot go wrong with Calvin & Hobbes.

This past Saturday night we ate at Johnny Rockets and I confess I was dis-a-ppointed. My burger was a little over-cooked, they took out all the individual jukeboxes, and when the counter person who took our order told me the price for just our 3 meals I had to hold on to the counter to keep from falling over. I looked at the husband and wanted to say "Give me money." like Kenickie did to Rizzo in Grease. The husband considered leaving but I was starving and in the end my stomach won out.

Sunday, May 25, 2014

A really big shout out (and a big batch of brownies) toMeg Evans for nominating The Fearless Scribe for the Liebster Award. The award recognizes new blogs or small blogs trying to grow up into bigger blogs. I appreciate this award and I'm happy to accept. Now for the rules all nominated blogs must follow under penalty of blog death (I'm kidding!):

Thank the blogger who gives it to you. (Thanks, Meg!)

Answer the eleven questions he/she asks.

Nominate eleven bloggers with less than 500 followers.

Ask these eleven bloggers eleven questions.

Let these eleven bloggers know that they have been nominated.

Here's what Meg asked me:

1 -If you had a time machine, when would you visit?

First, is my time machine a DeLorean? Because that would be so very cool. But to answer the question, I would visit a lot of different time periods like the Old West so I can ride a horse and say things like, "I reckon'" and "Howdy, Partner". I'd also like to go back to the 1920's and 30's and maybe visit a Speakeasy or see my grandparents when they were young. And of course the 1950's and 60's so I could drive a cool muscle car, drink milkshakes at the local soda shop and hang with the Greasers.

2-Do you have stuffed animals, real live pets, both, or neither.

I still have the first teddy bear my mom bought me when I was a baby scribe and I have all the stuffed animals Bill ever gave me because I'm a sentimental mush. The only live pets right now are Christopher's fishies.

3 - How do you most enjoy spending a rainy weekend?

Well, living out here in the desert, rainy weekends are few and far between but when it does rain I like hanging out with my guys, watching Iron Man or whatever action movie is on TV or playing a game.

4 - What's the most interesting wildlife you have seen near your home?

Do geckos and lizards count?

5 - Do you prefer jeans or sweatpants?

Jeans. Sweats make me feel messy and they don't have back pockets for me to shove my cell phone into. At least mine don't.

6 - Ever seen a ghost or had any other paranormal experience?

No, I have never seen a ghost. Any paranormal experience I've had could probably be debunked by the Ghosthunters.

7- What's your favorite outdoor activity?

Sitting outside in the sun. Preferably with a cold drink. And near a pool.

8 - Do you mostly read e-books or paper books?

I'm old-fashioned; I still read paper books. I don't own one of those Kindle or Nook things. Not that there's anything wrong with them it's just...technology and let's face it I just got the hang of using Netflix on my phone so, baby steps.

9 - Most memorable thing you ever did with your hair?

I once had gold highlights in my hair, which looked pretty good except that it made my hair dry and I had to use a crap ton of conditioner for a while to get it healthy again.

10 - What comfort food do you find most comforting?

This is a hard one. I mean seriously, I'm doing the 'my head's about to explode' face my son does when he has to write an essay for school. There's just too many and listing them all would sound like what's being served at one of our casino's all-you-can-eat buffets.

11 - Do you have anything in your house that is completely useless, but you kept it anyway for sentimental reasons?

Is this a trick question? No really, did my husband put you up to this?

I am nominating the following blogs. Please go check them out and send them love. If any of them have already been nominated in the past then, Hurray, you're twice as Liebster-y!

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Finding books that will keep his interest isn't always easy and a couple times I chose a book he wasn't too sure about but he ended up loving. Case in point, Treasure Island.

When I chose this book from the library he made a face that was a cross between disdain and whatever. Picture Elvis going meh with his lip curled. Turns out he loved it. (My kid, not Elvis) So did I. I had not read the book before this so getting to talk like a pirate (remember I do the character voices) and singing Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum was a lot of fun! This book had everything a young boy (and his mom) love: sword fighting, mutiny and lots of Arrgh-ing.

After that adventure we toned things down with the newest Big Nate book which is always a hit.

Currently we're reading King Arthur and his Knights. This one is a slow-go because it's written in the King's English with lots of 'Thous' and 'Dost'. Sometimes he asks me what a word means and I explain that I haven't a clue but doesn't it sound pretty? Hopefully the action heats up because so far we're 3 chapters in and Arthur just pulled Excalibur out of the stone. We have an agreement to give a book a few chapters before we declare it "Boooooring". Or, as they say in King Arthur's days, "Thou art boring."

Friday, May 16, 2014

I have a good friend who is a retired Army veteran. Earlier this week he was invited to the White House to watch a friend and fellow comrade receive the Medal of Honor.

Throughout the day he posted pictures on Fb of the event, the Honoree, and the military men that served in their unit. There was even a video link from CNN, which I watched. (Oh, don't be shocked. I watch more than just Marvel movies!)

To say that I am proud of my friend and his fellow paratroopers, that watching the ceremony humbled me is a trite and obvious statement. All I can truly say is: Thank you for your service. You define the word, Fearless.

Monday, May 12, 2014

A legacy by definition is something received from someone who has died, like an inheritance. Some families leave money, a family home or property and sometimes even Great-Grandma's pearls. Not my family. The legacies left to me are way cooler (to me at least) even if they are a bit unconventional.

I learned how to do the Hustle from my Aunt. I think it was my 10th or 11th birthday and I had some girlfriends over for a party. At one point my Aunt turned on the radio and started teaching us how to do this popular dance from that time. Needless to say, everyone thought I had the coolest aunt. It was my pre-teen 15-minute claim to fame. Who knows, maybe one day soon my aunt and I can relive that groovy moment and do the Hustle side-by-side again.

I was reminded of this when I recently volunteered at JDRF's annual Hope Gala. It was a disco theme and at one point the DJ played The Hustle and instinctively I started doing the dance. Another volunteer was watching me. I don't know, maybe she thought I was crazy (unconfirmed), loopy (from the long evening) or both. I just said, "My aunt taught me the Hustle many years ago." Then she just smiled and nodded. I hope she knows I meant the dance and not that my aunt taught me how to hustle people cause that would just be awkward. Then again, that might explain her sudden need to go speak with someone else nearby. Oh well, her loss because I would have taught it to her if she asked.

Fast forward several years to my teens. My hustling days are long over but my betting days have begun because another family legacy handed down to me was how to bet the ponies. One day Grandpa decided to take me and my younger brother to the local racetrack. I thought this was awesome and perhaps illegal but still, super-awesome. I also thought it was strange that me and my brother were the only people under 60, give or take a few shady looking middle-aged men.

Anyway, Grandpa picked up the racing form and proceeded to explain to us how to properly bet on a race. I thought we should bet on the ones with the wacky names like Pass the Buck or Shady Lady. Grandpa told me, You don't bet based on names. You gotta look at the odds and bet on the ones that are sure winners. Of course we weren't old enough to bet but we did have fun helping Grandpa pick horses and watching the races. My parents and Grandma thought we were at lunch and in a way we were because that racetrack hotdog and soda tasted pretty good.

I admit inheriting tangible items is great and I have a few nice things in my possession that people have left me. But nothing compares to these wonderful, if not, peculiar family memories. And nothing beats a skill? trait? ability? handed down by generation, even if it's only a dance move or gambling strategy.

Thursday, May 8, 2014

Tomorrow evening I'll be volunteering at the JDRF-Las Vegas annual Hope Gala. This is a mega-huge fundraiser with lots of cool items up for auction and people in fancy schmancy outfits sipping champagne and eating foods that you see Emeril and Mario Batali whip up on the Food Network.

I already have the dress I'm wearing. However, I'm still hunting for hoping to find comfortable shoes to wear since I'll be on my feet for a good 4-5 hours. Do you know how hard it is to find a pair of shoes that look nice for a classy event, are comfortable, and don't break the bank? I'm basically looking for a unicorn. Or, in Pop Culture terms, these elusive shoes are my Eleanor.

One thing I know: I am not Carrie Bradshaw. High heeled shoes that resemble stilts and cost the same as a Porsche? Yeah, I can't do that.

This doesn't mean I have no shoes to wear. I do. The problem is that after a couple hours my feet are in a world of hurt. Not as much as some of the women attending this event in their cute/sexy/super high-heels, but still.

Maybe next year I'll wear a floor-length dress so no one will see my oh-so comfy flip flops.

Friday, May 2, 2014

I love when readers leave comments. It's like when you're out somewhere and someone tells you hey, I like your shoes and you're all thanks and they're so comfy, too and then you smile and feel good because of the compliment.

This is how I felt when I logged on here one day last week and saw this monster comment someone left me. The long and short of it is that the commenter found my blog, gave me some compliments and offered some advice. When I hopped over to her blog I knew I had to feature her on a Fearless Friday post.

Meet Meg Evans from megevans.com where she writes stories and essays about life. Meg is on a mission to travel the Interwebz on what she calls a Random Kindness Blog Tour. (Rock and Roll! sorry.) Her plan is to visit a different blog (those with a positive focus) every day for a year. I'm honored to be the April 20th stop on her tour.

What makes her fearless is her resolve to find a new, positive blog every single day and then leave a sweet comment for the author. That's a mighty tall order considering many of us (a few of us? okay, just me) can't even post every day in their own blog.

Meg told me her main fear was the commitment and not being able to keep up with it but so far she's been fearlessly on track and has enjoyed making new friends along the way.

Visiting many different blogs and leaving a comment is a fearless act because you never know if what you say to another blogger will be read, let alone received well or, ignored altogether. I, on the other hand, find it easiest to just offer bribes. (Leave a comment, get a cookie!)

Check out her on-going tour here. Leave her some love and maybe do a blog crawl (similar to a pub crawl only with less booze and no hangover) of the blogs she's discovered.